Lot 15
  • 15

Jean-Léon Gérôme

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description

  • Jean-Léon Gérôme
  • Caravan passing the Colossi of Memnon, Thebes
  • oil on canvas
  • 40 by 62cm., 15¾ by 24¼in.

Provenance

Sale: Christie's, New York, 6 May 1999, lot 19
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Literature

Gerald Ackerman, Jean-Léon Gérôme, Paris, 2000, p. 233, no. 74.2

Condition

The canvas has been backed with a fine gauze and restretched onto its original stretcher. Ultra-violet light reveals some retouching at the extreme edges addressing frame rubbing, two or three minor pinhead-sized spots in the sky at the left, and two 1cm strokes in the brown earth in the lower right. There is a faint vertical stretcher mark in the centre and scattered fine stable craquelure. Overall this work is in good condition and is ready to hang. Held in a decorative gold-painted carved wood frame, with hieroglyph motifs.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Painted in 1856, the present work is a study for the larger version of the same subject, dated 1857, in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes, whose collection also contains a preparatory drawing for the oils.

The Colossi of Memnon, located on the plain of Thebes on Luxor's west bank, are two monumental twin statues flanking the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who reigned from 1386 to 1349 BC. The statues' name comes from the legendary King Memnon of Ethiopia, who led an army from Africa into Asia Minor during the Trojan War against the Greeks, but who was ultimately slain by Achilles.